Gatwick Taxiway Designator Re-numbering.

[HeathrowAirport]

Just heard this, weather this is the biggest BS Ive ever come accross, but This is what Ive heard.

As of the 18th of October 2009, the taxiway designators at London Gatwick will be re-assigned by numbers. This is a result of the recent misunderstandings between cockpit crew and ATC. This change is due to take place between 0000 and 0600.

Slightly Confused, is this true?

[vespasia]

No:ok:

PS It's not April 1st is it?

[Sir George Cayley]

I think this is a wind up. Because to implement such a change requires at least 28 days for an AIRAC cycle. As there's nothing in the system I'm sure it's not gunner 'appen.

Also, ICAO VAP set out taxiway designators and this moves away from nos to letters.

I think you've bin had. Wots the penalty?

SGC

[SilentHandover]

They used to be named as numbers until 2001'ish. I can remember going for a visit to the tower soon after the renaming as letters and seeing sticky labels on the windows with letters on. It did not know that they had just changed and it took me a while to relaise that the labels were an aide memoire that when sat in the GMC position 'labelled' the taxiways as you looked out of the window. I thought that the controllers there were just a little slow :p

[HEATHROW DIRECTOR]

What, like RAF towers where they have the points of the compass painted on the walls?!

[SilentHandover]

Now those sound like a good idea HD :ok::ok::ok::ok::ok::ok::ok:

[HeathrowAirport]

Lool - the person who told me this obviously fooled me. Sorry for any bother.